New Steelers coach McCarthy would like Rodgers to return

PITTSBURGH -- Less than 10 minutes into the Mike McCarthy era of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the franchise's new head coach had to address the elephant in the room.

From a personal perspective, a reporter asked, does he want Aaron Rodgers back as his quarterback?

"That's nice the way he asked that," a chuckling McCarthy said to the question. "I mean definitely. I don't see why you wouldn't. ... I have spoken to Aaron, and so that's really where we are there, but I was able to sit back and watch the games and watch most of the Pittsburgh games on TV and I thought he was a great asset for the team."

The 62-year-old coach acknowledged that Rodgers, like other veteran players, needed time to decompress and make a decision on his future, but the coach embraced the idea of reuniting with the quarterback with whom he spent 13 seasons in Green Bay and won a Super Bowl title.

"I think that's very important," McCarthy said of players like Rodgers taking a break. "The game is so emotional, what these men commit to, and what they put into it. I think that time away is important."

Speaking at his introductory news conference Tuesday, McCarthy said he and general manager Omar Khan haven't discussed a timeline or a deadline for Rodgers' decision as they ramp up NFL draft preparation. The position appears similar to a year ago when Rodgers weighed his options until signing a one-year contract in June.

Facing uncertainty at the quarterback position entering the 2025 NFL draft, the Steelers opted to wait until the sixth round before selecting Ohio State quarterback Will Howard. The rookie spent most of the season on injured reserve after sustaining a broken finger in his throwing hand during what started as a promising training camp.

McCarthy said Tuesday he was impressed with Howard, who helped the Buckeyes to a national championship.

"I'm really excited about Will Howard," McCarthy said. "He's someone that I thought really came on there at Ohio State. I'm anxious to work with him. It'd be great to have Aaron back. But Will and Mason [Rudolph], I'm really, really excited to get started with those guys."

Before getting his first offensive coordinator job in New Orleans in 2000, McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native, got his start working with quarterbacks, something he picked up as a graduate assistant under the guidance of Paul Hackett, then the head coach at Pitt. Since then, McCarthy has helped with the development of quarterbacks including Rodgers and Dak Prescott.

"The quarterback position, to me, is a huge challenge because you don't have the individual time that the other positions have," McCarthy said about his process. "But really finding time, being efficient with your workload capacity and making sure those guys get the fundamental training. So just never really deviating from the old school way that has worked for decades."

The ability to develop quarterbacks was a key trait Steelers' brass wanted in their next head coach.

"With everybody we talked to, the conversation of developing the next quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers was part of it," Khan said. "I think Mike's resume speaks for itself, who he's been around, but we're excited about working with Will, and that was a part of it."

McCarthy, who is just the fourth Steelers' head coach since 1969 and the only one in that span from an offensive background, said he will call the plays with his new team. And he said the past 48 hours have been "fluid" as he builds his coaching staff.